1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a technology in which a user controls a navigator included in a vehicle via speech dialogue and, more particularly, to a technology for controlling a navigator via speech dialogue, in which a user may efficiently and conveniently use a navigator while driving by performing a speech dialogue using information about the operation of the navigator and information about a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a speech dialogue system is an apparatus that stores commands of a driver, determines a driver's intention, more efficiently deals with a driver's demand based on a conversational situation, and then executes the driver's demand, as in the operation of receiving a simple natural voice command and controlling an electronic device.
A conventional speech dialogue interface for a vehicle uses a method of analyzing a natural voice command regardless of the current situation of a vehicle and transferring the analyzed command to an electronic device to be controlled. However, if commands can be exchanged between a driver and an electronic device in response to natural voice commands in a conversation form or if the current situation of a vehicle is determined and then natural voice commands can be processed, more appropriate measures can be taken. When a common speech dialogue system is used, a dialogue history composed of speech dialogues between a driver and an electronic device can be recorded and a situation can be understood. It is difficult for a vehicle electronic device to efficiently execute natural voice commands because the electronic device is frequently driven in association with speech dialogue in the state in which it has been controlled by existing various interfaces. For example, it is assumed that a driver sets a destination using a touch interface before he or she starts a vehicle using a navigator for the vehicle and is then provided with route guidance. If the driver utters “Search for a close gas station” as a natural voice command in order to search for a gas station, a speech dialogue system must perform conversation with the driver so that a gas station near a destination route can be searched for and then the found gas station can be set as a stop. In contrast, when the same natural voice command is uttered without setting a destination, a gas station near the place where the vehicle is placed must be searched for and then a new destination must be set. As shown in the example, in order for a vehicle speech dialogue system using a speech dialogue interface to appropriately operate, information about an electronic device being driven in response to a request from a driver and information about the vehicle are required, and also the speech dialogue system must access, interpret and use the information. When external information service is accessed via an electronic device within a vehicle, a user is enabled to obtain only useful and required information based on information about the movement and location of the vehicle. Furthermore, since various pieces of information are previously known via the situation information, the number of interactions between a driver and an electronic device can be reduced, and thus information desired by the driver can be more rapidly transferred.
Accordingly, in order to efficiently execute a natural voice command between a user and a navigator for a vehicle, there is an urgent need for a navigator control technology using speech dialogues, which is capable of processing natural voice commands based on information about the operation of the navigator and information about the vehicle. In connection with this, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2010-0041492A discloses a technology related to “A dialogue type vehicle diagnosis system”.